Allen West Learned Nothing From First Political Dustup

Rep. Allen West, one of two new black Republicans in the House of Representatives, still has a lot to learn about politics on the national stage. Mainly that you should learn from mistakes you make. West caught flack late last year when he announced that his friend Joyce Kauffman, a talk-radio host known for making offensive statements, would be his chief of staff. Of course, once the news broke, she quickly announced that she wouldn't be accepting the job.

At the time, we interpreted her public refusal as a sign that West had learned a valuable political lesson about the kinds of people he should and shouldn't bring with him to Washington. But on Fox News Sunday over the weekend, he admitted that he didn't "learn anything" at all from the whole experience. He blamed the whole mess on liberals. On second thought, it sounds as if West has learned a thing or two about being a congressman.